Willow has again expressed her admiration for Australia’s neo-soul outfit Hiatus Kaiyote.
The US pop & R&B artist sat down with DJ Zane Lowe on his Apple Music show for an in-depth interview about her newly released album Empathogen.
Talking about earning the respect of other musicians, Willow said, “It’s not about like, ‘Oh, once [Hiatus Kaiyote singer] Nai Palm notices me,’ once she’s like, ‘I want to make an album with Willow,’ then I’m gonna be like, ‘I made it!’
“No, even if Nai Palm does want to make an album with me, I’m sitting in my house going, ‘Why do I still feel inadequate?’ I think how I’m a changed person after making this album is realising it’s for the rest of your life, Willow. You’re gonna pick up that guitar and you’re gonna practice, try to sharpen your skills, for the rest of your life. There’s never gonna be an end moment.”
It’s not the first time Willow has discussed her appreciation for Nai Palm and her jazz/funk band.
“One of my dream collaborations is to work with a band called Hiatus Kaiyote, because their music is so beautiful, the changing of the time signatures. Nai Palm, the vocalist, I have such an affinity for her voice,” Smith told Interview Magazine all the way back in 2016.
“And everything that she talks about in her music and everything that she stands for is just so beautiful. And, like Jaden [Willow’s brother] said, not even making music all the time, but just seeing how they live their lives and observing them as a spirit and as a human, it’s so beautiful.”
Willow will surely be listening closely when Hiatus Kaiyote return with their fourth studio album, Love Heart Cheat Code, this June. It’s the highly anticipated follow-up the band’s 2021 album Mood Valiant, which earned them a nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
